Cotswold Wildlife Park welcomes Markus - the White Rhino calf
He marks the UK’s only White Rhino birth in 2025 and one of just five across all European zoological collections this year
Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens is celebrating the birth of a rare White Rhino calf — the twelfth to be born at the Burford attraction in as many years.
The male calf, named Markus, marks the UK’s only White Rhino birth in 2025 and one of just five across all European zoological collections this year.
Born to experienced mother Nancy and breeding male Monty, Markus arrived after a 16-month pregnancy — one of the longest gestation periods of any land mammal. The birth, which took less than 45 minutes, was captured on camera by Mammal Keeper Liam Klingsick, an uncommon occurrence as Rhino births usually happen at night.
Head Keeper Mark Godwin, who has cared for the park’s growing “crash” of rhinos for 12 years, was also present. He described the newborn as “one of the most confident calves I’ve seen,” noting that calves weigh around 70 kilograms at birth and can gain up to two kilograms a day.
Nancy, an “exceptional and attentive” mother, is caring closely for her seventh calf, and the pair are said to be bonding well. The youngster will stay by her side for at least two years before becoming fully independent.
The park’s chairman, Reggie Heyworth, revealed that the calf was named in memory of the late Dr. Markus Borner, a leading conservation scientist who played a crucial role in restoring Tanzania’s Black Rhino population. Heyworth, who worked under Dr. Borner in the 1990s, described him as “a giant of conservation” and “one of my best friends.”
Dr. Borner’s lifetime of work earned him several international awards, including the Blue Planet Prize in 2016. “His memory lives on in our Rhino family,” Heyworth said.
The arrival of Markus brings the park’s Rhino population to eight — the largest number ever housed at the wildlife park in its 55-year history, and one of the largest family groups on display anywhere in the UK.
Keepers even believe they may have captured the conception on film — a first for the park — after Monty’s “amorous intentions” drew quite an audience earlier in the year.
Visitors can see Markus and his family daily from 10am in the park’s solar-powered Rhino House or in the large paddock overlooking the Manor House.